Human habitats evolved from the early dawn of human history where caves sheltered humans from severe weather and predatory animals. The cave environment where numbers of humans living together in the same location became a seed for collective action, defining the family unit and structure, as well as extended family and community. The cave habitats also represented a center of activities, a home where the early human tools and domestic utensils could be kept. This was also a place where people could gather around the fire to dance and tell stories, and it also became the first art studio with large stone wall serving as canvases.
Based on those first models of habitats, humans evolved further in complexity, learning to build more complex structures and do more complex activities. Agricultural and Industrial revolutions marked significant turns or transformations in human habitats. Agricultural revolution resulted in more food production and higher organization of society characterized by labor specialization. Labor specialization and skilled manpower transformed habitats by creating new spaces for specialized activity. Work spaces had to be created for tool markers, cloth markers, wood workers, food storage and later for learning. Villages turned into small towns and the level of societal organization became more complex as the amount of activities increases.
The industrial revolution further transformed habitats by introducing industrial activities, large scale mining, advanced farming, complex tool production, weapon production and factory structures. With the emergence of this age, living space, working space, administrative, political, religious, business and learning spaces became separate and well-defined. Industry brought more technological innovation, population increase, trade, as well as higher demand for more space and resources. The result was big towns, cities, travel and wars for territory, labor and resources.
Today’s habitats are characterized by large areas of living space, complex political, social and economic activity. The large population increase and demand for more resources and higher quality of living has resulted in environmental destruction and accelerated climatic changes threatening the future of humanity. The main activities in today’s global habitats are production and consumption. In the global cultural arena of consumerism the main players are the corporations, mass media and the consumers. The corporate cultural role is mass production of goods and profit maximization. The media cultural role is the dissemination of mass propaganda, disinformation, perception management and the promotion of trends and habits conducive for the expansion of consumer culture. The consumer cultural role is to consume as much as possible. These consumers having been cultured or brainwashed by the media to believe that their worth depends on how many toys they have or how much they consume, they helplessly follow the impulse to buy what they do not need despite the financial and ecological costs of such habits. The average rate at which people consume resources like oil and metals, and produce wastes like plastics and greenhouse gases, are about 32 times higher in North America, Western Europe, Japan and Australia than they are in the developing world. It will take another cultural evolution to evolve out of our consumption culture. A change in culture and worldview is a prerequisite for human evolution from suicidal consumption and material gluttony of sustainability and balance. Consumption habits, profit without environmental responsibility, and population growth need to be controlled. Technological ennovations and resources need to be focused on ways to repair the environment, create clean and renewable energies as well awakening the masses and changing their consumption habits. The media, grassroots organizations, local governments and academic institutions have to play a more active role in dealing with environmental issues and promoting sustainable living.
The survival imperative of our species needs humanity today to evolve us out of the cultural evolution that has led us to the culture of mindless consumption. Only through a new cultural evolution to sustainability can we escape the impending ecological and habitat apocalypse.
Action and Innovation
Sustainable habitats projects
Cities and Biodiversity Summit - A message from London
Organizations and communities The International Living Future Institute
The International Living Future Institute is a non-governmental organization (NGO) committed to catalyzing a global transformation toward true sustainability. The Institute seeks partnerships with leaders in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors in pursuit of a future that is socially just, culturally rich and ecologically restorative. https://ilbi.org/lbc
Sustainable Cities Network
The Network is a vehicle for communities to share knowledge and coordinate efforts to understand and solve sustainability problems. It is designed to foster partnerships, identify best practices, provide training and information, and create a bridge between ASU’s research and front-line challenges facing local communities. http://sustainablecities.asu.edu/
Sustainable Cities Initiative (SCI) is a cross-disciplinary organization at the University of Oregon that seeks to promote education, service, public outreach and research on the design and development of sustainable cities. http://sci.uoregon.edu/ http://sci.uoregon.edu/contact
Sustainable Cities International Network
The Sustainable Cities International Network is a network of cities, towns and regions sharing their experiences, expertise and tools to undertake urban sustainability plans and projects. Sustainable Cities International, based in Vancouver, Canada, is the secretariat of the Network. http://sustainablecities.net/citiesnetwork
My participation:
Learning and exploring habitats and the global environmental crisis has made me conscious of everything I do and use, I have made significant transformations away from consumption habits detrimental to the environment, and I am conscious of my personal contribution to the carbon footprint.
I started using my facebook page as an outlet and forum for sharing ideas and issues concerning the environment and sustainable living. I published issues and articles connected to sustainability on my blog -http://thingsandtimes.blogspot.com/ I also connected with several organizations dealing with issues on sustainable habitats and joined several mailing lists to receive articles and publications.
- In Oct 2011, I attended the "Building=Energy exhibition" at the Center of Architectures in New York City. (http://cfa.aiany.org/index.php?section=upcoming&expid=141). The exhibition explored how critical choices by people in the fields of design, planning, engineering, government, building management, and occupant behavior can make positive energy changes in our cities. My interesting in attending this events was to see how engineers, architects and planners are incorporating sustainable designs concepts in their designs, and how much progress New York is making in the direction towards sustainable habitats. - Signed up for the GreenHomeNYC newsletter. GreenHomeNYC is a community organization suporting greener lives and buildings. - I also joined 'The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association' (NESEA) for the purpose of learning and contributing towards sustainable communities. NESEA is an association of practitioners and activists committed to advancing sustainable energy practices. Its focus is on practical solutions, proven results and in being pioneers in the energy efficiency and renewable energy field. Members are a diverse group, including engineers, architects, builders, energy consultants, building owners and operators, manufacturers and installers, educators, activists, and transportation planners. NESEA’s overarching goal is to support professionals to bring clean energy, healthy, efficient buildings, and zero-carbon structures into everyday use in order to strengthen the economy and improve the environment.
8802 Action & Innovation
Conclusions
Human habitats evolved from the early dawn of human history where caves sheltered humans from severe weather and predatory animals. The cave environment where numbers of humans living together in the same location became a seed for collective action, defining the family unit and structure, as well as extended family and community. The cave habitats also represented a center of activities, a home where the early human tools and domestic utensils could be kept. This was also a place where people could gather around the fire to dance and tell stories, and it also became the first art studio with large stone wall serving as canvases.
Based on those first models of habitats, humans evolved further in complexity, learning to build more complex structures and do more complex activities. Agricultural and Industrial revolutions marked significant turns or transformations in human habitats. Agricultural revolution resulted in more food production and higher organization of society characterized by labor specialization. Labor specialization and skilled manpower transformed habitats by creating new spaces for specialized activity. Work spaces had to be created for tool markers, cloth markers, wood workers, food storage and later for learning. Villages turned into small towns and the level of societal organization became more complex as the amount of activities increases.
The industrial revolution further transformed habitats by introducing industrial activities, large scale mining, advanced farming, complex tool production, weapon production and factory structures. With the emergence of this age, living space, working space, administrative, political, religious, business and learning spaces became separate and well-defined. Industry brought more technological innovation, population increase, trade, as well as higher demand for more space and resources. The result was big towns, cities, travel and wars for territory, labor and resources.
Today’s habitats are characterized by large areas of living space, complex political, social and economic activity. The large population increase and demand for more resources and higher quality of living has resulted in environmental destruction and accelerated climatic changes threatening the future of humanity.
The main activities in today’s global habitats are production and consumption. In the global cultural arena of consumerism the main players are the corporations, mass media and the consumers. The corporate cultural role is mass production of goods and profit maximization. The media cultural role is the dissemination of mass propaganda, disinformation, perception management and the promotion of trends and habits conducive for the expansion of consumer culture. The consumer cultural role is to consume as much as possible. These consumers having been cultured or brainwashed by the media to believe that their worth depends on how many toys they have or how much they consume, they helplessly follow the impulse to buy what they do not need despite the financial and ecological costs of such habits. The average rate at which people consume resources like oil and metals, and produce wastes like plastics and greenhouse gases, are about 32 times higher in North America, Western Europe, Japan and Australia than they are in the developing world.
It will take another cultural evolution to evolve out of our consumption culture. A change in culture and worldview is a prerequisite for human evolution from suicidal consumption and material gluttony of sustainability and balance. Consumption habits, profit without environmental responsibility, and population growth need to be controlled. Technological ennovations and resources need to be focused on ways to repair the environment, create clean and renewable energies as well awakening the masses and changing their consumption habits. The media, grassroots organizations, local governments and academic institutions have to play a more active role in dealing with environmental issues and promoting sustainable living.
The survival imperative of our species needs humanity today to evolve us out of the cultural evolution that has led us to the culture of mindless consumption. Only through a new cultural evolution to sustainability can we escape the impending ecological and habitat apocalypse.
Action and Innovation
Sustainable habitats projects
Cities and Biodiversity Summit - A message from London
Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design with Nature
Sustainable Cities Net
http://www.sustainablecitiesnet.com/
Sustainable Cities
http://www.usa.siemens.com/sustainable-cities/index.html?stc=usccc025112
Future green cities
http://greencitiesbuilders.webs.com/futuregreencities.htm
How 2 Grow Architecture
http://mattovermatter.com/2010/10/07/how-2-grow-architecture/
http://www.utopiacrowd.com/tag/architecture/
http://thegreen-home-living.com/
http://inhabitat.com/porcupine-building-cleared-for-construction-in-the-uk/
Thirteen Principles of Sustainable Architecture
http://www.greenhomebuilding.com/articles/susarch.htm
Why Build Sustainably?
http://www.greenhomebuilding.com/QandA/sustainable/why.htm
Using Natural Materials
http://www.greenhomebuilding.com/QandA/sustainable/natural.htm
http://nat-envir-sun.blogspot.com/
http://conceptrends.com/2008/07/01/earthships-the-eco-house-of-the-future/
http://greenlifestylemagazine.net/issue-2/earth-to-earthships.php
Curitiba A Sustainable City
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ONDmJk1hzNY
Can urban areas be sustainable?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=i2q9mLhudBY
Organizations and communities
The International Living Future Institute
The International Living Future Institute is a non-governmental organization (NGO) committed to catalyzing a global transformation toward true sustainability. The Institute seeks partnerships with leaders in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors in pursuit of a future that is socially just, culturally rich and ecologically restorative.
https://ilbi.org/lbc
Sustainable Communities
http://www.sustainable.org/
Sustainable Cities Network
The Network is a vehicle for communities to share knowledge and coordinate efforts to understand and solve sustainability problems. It is designed to foster partnerships, identify best practices, provide training and information, and create a bridge between ASU’s research and front-line challenges facing local communities.
http://sustainablecities.asu.edu/
Sustainable Cities Initiative (SCI)
is a cross-disciplinary organization at the University of Oregon that seeks to promote education, service, public outreach and research on the design and development of sustainable cities.
http://sci.uoregon.edu/
http://sci.uoregon.edu/contact
Sustainable City Network, Inc. (SCN)
http://www.sustainablecitynetwork.com/
Sustainable Cities International Network
The Sustainable Cities International Network is a network of cities, towns and regions sharing their experiences, expertise and tools to undertake urban sustainability plans and projects. Sustainable Cities International, based in Vancouver, Canada, is the secretariat of the Network.
http://sustainablecities.net/citiesnetwork
GreenHomeNYC
http://greenhomenyc.org/events
Links & Blogs
Habitat destruction
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habitat_destruction
Human migration
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_migration
The Migration History of Humans: DNA Study Traces Human Origins Across the Continents
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-migration-history-of-humans
World population
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_population
Sustainable Cities Net
http://www.sustainablecitiesnet.com/
Sustainable Cities Net
http://www.sustainablecitiesnet.com/list-of-sustainable-cities/
My participation:
Learning and exploring habitats and the global environmental crisis has made me conscious of everything I do and use, I have made significant transformations away from consumption habits detrimental to the environment, and I am conscious of my personal contribution to the carbon footprint.
I started using my facebook page as an outlet and forum for sharing ideas and issues concerning the environment and sustainable living. I published issues and articles connected to sustainability on my blog -http://thingsandtimes.blogspot.com/ I also connected with several organizations dealing with issues on sustainable habitats and joined several mailing lists to receive articles and publications.
- In Oct 2011, I attended the "Building=Energy exhibition" at the Center of Architectures in New York City. (http://cfa.aiany.org/index.php?section=upcoming&expid=141). The exhibition explored how critical choices by people in the fields of design, planning, engineering, government, building management, and occupant behavior can make positive energy changes in our cities. My interesting in attending this events was to see how engineers, architects and planners are incorporating sustainable designs concepts in their designs, and how much progress New York is making in the direction towards sustainable habitats. - Signed up for the GreenHomeNYC newsletter. GreenHomeNYC is a community organization suporting greener lives and buildings. - I also joined 'The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association' (NESEA) for the purpose of learning and contributing towards sustainable communities. NESEA is an association of practitioners and activists committed to advancing sustainable energy practices. Its focus is on practical solutions, proven results and in being pioneers in the energy efficiency and renewable energy field. Members are a diverse group, including engineers, architects, builders, energy consultants, building owners and operators, manufacturers and installers, educators, activists, and transportation planners. NESEA’s overarching goal is to support professionals to bring clean energy, healthy, efficient buildings, and zero-carbon structures into everyday use in order to strengthen the economy and improve the environment.
Articles:
The Transition Movement – Preparing for a World After Peak Oil
http://news.thomasnet.com/green_clean/2011/07/11/the-transition-movement-preparing-for-a-world-after-peak-oil/
What is a 'sustainable community,' and what does the answer have to do with us?
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/kbenfield/what_is_a_sustainable_communit.html
New data confirm European transportation habits are much greener than those in US cities
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/kbenfield/new_data_confirm_european_tran.html
Island states slam slow pace of climate talks
http://news.yahoo.com/island-states-slam-slow-pace-climate-talks-163121813.html
Biggest jump ever seen in global warming gases
http://news.yahoo.com/biggest-jump-ever-seen-global-warming-gases-183955211.html